First Known Use: 1601
Dictionary
sophisticated
adjective so·phis·ti·cat·ed \sə-ˈfis-tə-ˌkā-təd\
: having or showing a lot of experience and knowledge about the world and about culture, art, literature, etc.
: attractive to fashionable or sophisticated people
: highly developed and complex
Full Definition of SOPHISTICATED
1
2
: devoid of grossness: as a : finely experienced and aware <a sophisticated columnist> b : intellectually appealing <a sophisticated novel>
— so·phis·ti·cat·ed·ly adverb
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Examples of SOPHISTICATED
- Puck's mix of casual and sophisticated elements has become the most prevalent style of L.A. dining today. —Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator, 31 Mar. 2009
- Sophisticated investors took Moody's and S&P's word for it, and it turned out that the agencies didn't know what they were doing. —Andy Serwer et al., Time, 29 Sept. 2008
- “These students want the amenities they grew up with at home—their own rooms, their own baths, along with some of the finer things in life. They're a more sophisticated consumer.” —Camille Sweeney, New York Times Real Estate Magazine, Spring 2007
- Sonar devices can locate an enemy's sophisticated, almost-silent diesel submarines by, ironically, making a deafening noise—sometimes above 230 decibels, as loud as a Saturn V rocket blasting off. —Dick Russell, Mother Jones, March & April 2006
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Origin of SOPHISTICATED
Medieval Latin sophisticatus
Related to SOPHISTICATED
- Synonyms
- cosmopolitan, smart, worldly–wise, worldly
Synonym Discussion of SOPHISTICATED
sophisticated, worldly-wise, blasé mean experienced in the ways of the world. sophisticated often implies refinement, urbanity, cleverness, and cultivation <guests at her salon were usually rich and sophisticated>. worldly-wise suggests a close and practical knowledge of the affairs and manners of society and an inclination toward materialism <a worldly-wise woman with a philosophy of personal independence>. blasé implies a lack of responsiveness to common joys as a result of a real or affected surfeit of experience and cultivation <blasé travelers who claimed to have been everywhere>.
Rhymes with SOPHISTICATED
SOPHISTICATED Defined for Kids
sophisticated
adjective so·phis·ti·cat·ed \sə-ˈfi-stə-ˌkā-təd\
Definition of SOPHISTICATED for Kids
1
: very complicated <sophisticated electronic devices>
2
: having a lot of knowledge about the world especially through experience
3
: appealing to a person's intelligence <a sophisticated novel>
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